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58. Arsenic and Old Lace

Few black comic tropes are as irresistible as the juxtaposition of sweetly oblivious little old ladies and murder. It was used to wonderful effect in THE LADYKILLERS, with ever-helpful Katie Johnson blissfully unaware of her boarders’ intention to do away with her, and it is arguably even funnier in ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, where the little old ladies themselves are the killers.

The Brewster sisters, Abby and Martha, are the sort of sweet Christian spinsters of whom the cop on their Brooklyn neighborhood beat rhapsodizes “They’re two of the dearest, sweetest, kindest, old ladies that ever walked the earth… they’re like pressed rose leaves!” And indeed they are. Abby (Josephine Hull) is a happy, chubby cherub of a woman, so full of life that she actually bounces when she walks. Her more reserved sister, Martha (Jean Adair) is the epitome of prim propriety.

What none of their neighbors suspect is that the “Room for Rent” sign in their front-yard is a lure for lonely old men, potential boarders whom the sisters send on to happier lives in the great beyond by serving them homemade elderberry wine liberally laced with a mixture of arsenic, strychnine and cyanide. There’s no malice in their actions; the sisters fervently believe they are performing a Christian charity for men whose lives hold no further promise. They even go to the trouble of donning black gowns and reading “services” over the men’s burial site.

About that burial site: the sisters press their even crazier brother, Teddy, into service to help with the disposal of the bodies. Teddy (John Alexander) who believes himself to be Theodore Roosevelt (he even ascends the stairs in the house as if they were San Juan Hill by brandishing a sword and screaming “CHA-A-A-A-RGE!!”) is routinely dispatched to the cellar to “dig the Panama Canal” after which he is given a “yellow fever victim” for immediate burial.

Everything comes to a head when their nephew, Mortimer (a memorably manic Cary Grant) drops by to inform them of his marriage to the neighboring Reverend Harper’s daughter (Priscilla Lane), and inadvertently discovers the latest “yellow fever victim” stashed in the window seat while awaiting a proper burial. It turns out to be the same day that Mortimer’s bad-seed brother (Raymond Massey) and his shady sidekick, Dr. Einstein (Peter Lorre) drop by the aunt’s house, intent on stashing a corpse of their own

The Joseph’s Kesselring play on which the film is based is a classic farce in the American theatre canon, frequently revived in both professional and amateur productions to this day. In fact, it was still running on Broadway when Frank Capra made this film version in 1941 (though its release was delayed till the end of the play’s run in 1994). Hull and Adair were released from the Broadway production for eight weeks in order to workwith Capra. Sadly, Boris Karloff was not released to play Jonathan in the film – a pity since the character’s surgically altered resemblance to Karloff is a running gag in both play and film.

ARSENIC AND OLD LACE was pretty damn funny on stage, but Capra and screenwriters Julius and Phillip Epstein added even more layers of lunacy to the story without sacrificing any of the original’s appeal. Theyframed the film with opening sequences that establish Brooklyn as a world unto itself “where anything can happen and it usually does”, separate from “the United States proper,” including an all-out fistfight between players and fans in a Dodgers-Yankees game. Mortimer, no longer just a drama critic, is now a notoriously confirmed bachelor with a best-selling anti-matrimony screed (“Marriage: A Failure and a Fraud’) to his credit, so we get to see Grant in a hat, dark glasses and turned up coat collar attempting to evade detection in the City Hall line for marriage licenses. The macabre elements of the story are underlined repeatedly, starting with the opening credits which inexplicably feature cartoon drawings of jack o’ lanterns and witches on broomsticks. Events now take place on Halloween, which allows Mortimer’s aunts to evade his frantic questions about the dead man in the window seat by tending to trick-or-treaters at their kitchen door. Exterior scenes inevitably show blustery winds blowing fallen leaves in every direction, and in one early scene, Grants flirts madly with Lane and chases her around a tree while in a cemetery.

Mortimer Brewster was an especially memorable role for Grant, definitely his biggest, most over-the-top performance. Grant is a veritable geyser of comic exasperation, mugging and reacting in pop-eyed disbelief to the chain of events – sometime directly to the audience – and in constant frantic motion. It’s the kind of performance that could easily have been a disaster, but it works to laugh-out-loud effect because every other character in the film performs as if in a straight dramatic play.

ARSENIC AND OLD LACE is a departure from the other films of Frank Capra, who was looking to make a purely escapist entertainment when he saw Kesselring’s play on Broadway. He acquits himself as well as any of the directors more commonly associated with the screwball genre, and the film has rightfully earned a place on this and other countdowns of the most memorable film comedies.

How Arsenic and Old Lace made the Top 100:

Brandie Ashe No. 15

Samuel Wilson No. 15

Sachin Gandhi No. 25

Bobby Jopsson No. 32

Pat Perry No. 33

Marilyn Ferdinand No. 44

Bobby McCartney No. 45

John Greco No. 46

Frank Gallo No. 48

Dean Treadway No. 57

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23 Responses

Unfortunately I’m one of the few that thinks this one is severely over-rated and feel that it’s stage origins weigh the whole thing down. I’m of the mind that Capra and the Epstein brothers would have made a fantastic film from this property had they fanned out from the staginess of the production to give it a more realistic weight. By doing this, the laughs would have become far more nervy and, in contrast to the stage production (and this would have made the film even better and more memorable), even more raucously over-the-top.

The performances are fine and both Raymond Massy and Cary Grant really send their turns into the stratosphere, but I fear that, even with all the good that is on display, it just comes off as a by-the-numbers adaptation of a very good play. This, of course, is interesting to me considering that Capra is one of the most cinematically inclined directors of the period and never had a problem with fanning his works into the rest of the real world.

Pat I really like how you describe how the comedy works in this film and what makes it funny. I might be wrong, but it looks like we had more people vote for this film than perhaps any other film yet to date on this countdown. That should speak volumes. I must admit it’s been awhile since I’ve seen this but your review helps me recall why it’s so funny. I do think that Grant was one of the GREAT comedic actors. Seemingly able to make his clipped delivery and sarcasm work with a wide variety of actresses and directors. His films all have a certain something. Of course His Girl Friday and Bringing Up Baby are on another level, but his delivery just works so well in the screwball format. He is even able to add the right dark comedic elements to Hitchcock films like North By Northwest. I love Grant. One of my favorite actors of all time.

Thank, Jon.
I’m right there with you on Grant. He’s also one of my very favorite actors, and largely because of his work in the screwball genre. His performance in ARSENIC… is SO over the top, but it’s also the most memorably funny component of the film.

Yes indeed Jon, it does appear that more voters named this film on their ballot than any other so far in the countdown, though I’m sure as we approach the half way point here, we’ll be seeing extended scrolls more often than not. Frank Capra’s beloved comedy missed making my own Top 60 by a single spot. It’s long been a favorite, and despite Dennis’ understandable issues with the staginess of the production, I feel the black comedy, superlative performances, and spirited direction rightly made the film a classic that defied the criticisms, in large measure because of what Pat astutely notes is ‘the added lunacy” supplied by Capra and that legendary writing team of Julius and Phillip (CASABLANCA) Epstein. The premise here that has two seemingly innocent old ladies doing the ‘good samaritan’ thing by putting some lost souls out of their misery bears a certain humorous perversity, enhances by an arsenal of dysfunctional loons who bring to mind James Whale’s earlier THE OLD DARK HOUSE is some measure. Cary Grant’s irresistible performance still stands as one of his signature roles, and again as you wisely observe Pat, there is actually an effective connection between the delivery of the lines that are purposely negotiated in stage fashion that actually contribute to the dysfunction of the entire production. A great screen comedy, reviewed with exceptional verve.

I understand that the line “I’m not a Brewster, I’m a son of a sea cock’ was refined from ‘I’m a bastard’ from the play. But this was production code time. I definitely see this as a film comedy of the highest order, and one that isn’t diminished by the stage origins. As others say this aspect helps it. Terrific review, Pat.

Grant’s range as a comedian was amazing. He could do screwball wit but also could go broad and beyond as he does in Arsenic. It’s funnier than, say, Bob Hope doing the same role because it’s Cary Grant doing it. It helps that the rest of the cast is spot-on with personality and timing, even (or perhaps especially) Massey subbing for Karloff. I love how he overrules Teddy simply by declaring himself to be Woodrow Wilson. Old dark house comedies were hot at the time Arsenic was shot — Hope in the Cat and Canary remake started it, i think — but Capra’s film is the cherry on top.

Samuel. – It’s funny you mention Hope, because while prepping this post, I read somewhere that he was the original choice to play Mortimer in the film. I don’t think he’d have been bad, but Grant is such a comic virtuoso – I don’t think Hope could have approached him in the role.

I totally agree with this statement on Grant being amzing as a comedian. His sharp retorts, facial and physical expression, almost cartoon-like, are just about one of a kind. However, Grant was much more than just a great comic actor and his dramatic range was almost on equal par with his wit. Often, his best turns COMBINED his power as a dramatic actor with the elements of comic performance that he is so well known for.

Though I am no big fan of this particular film, I love Grants turn. I am a bigger fan of NORTH BY NORTHWEST though, as there he is perfectly balancing his dramatic range with a kind of stuffy obnoxiousness and the cool comic wit that made him so perfect for pictures like THE PHILADELPHIA STORY and BRINGIN UP BABY. Frankly, it’s this perfect combination that probably sees Grant in NORTH BY NORTHWEST deliver his best performance. No one else would have been better for that Alfred Hitchcock classic,

Fredeick – It’s funny, but I did not remember the Halloween iconography in the opening credits until I watched it again for the first time in several years. The play does not take place on Halloween, but that setting really enhances the darker elements of the farce on film.

Pat, this is a lovely review & also very insightful. I had no idea that Boris Karloff could have been in the film. I can only imagine the possibilities 🙂
I especially love these lines:Grant is a veritable geyser of comic exasperation, mugging and reacting in pop-eyed disbelief to the chain of events – sometime directly to the audience – and in constant frantic motion. It’s the kind of performance that could easily have been a disaster, but it works to laugh-out-loud effect because every other character in the film performs as if in a straight dramatic play.

I felt that at many points the film was very close to going over the rails because of certain over the top moments but somehow always managed to get back on track. When I first saw this film, I knew nothing about the story nor did I know what a dark comedy was. So I was taken aback by what I saw and could not believe the sweet ladies were capable of what I just had seen. Still, it is Grant’s performance that ultimately won me over regarding this film.

Sachin – thank you for the kind words. Yes, Karloff did originate the role of Jonathan in the original stage production, which of course makes the constant references to Jonathan’s resemblance to Karloff so much funnier. I agree that Grant’s performance is the most memorable one in the film.

Wonderful review Pat. A great cast but Grant is especially good. His range was extraordinary. He can do slapstick one minute and be sophisticated the next. Black comedies were not very common back in the 1940’s but I believe the screwball aspects of the film are what made it more palpable for the audience of the day who otherwise might have found the idea of two sweet old ladies killing people. Anyway, you review makes me want to take another look at this.

Thank you, John. I love all the praise for Grant on this comments thread. He is a wonderful comic actor and his films were all over my ballot. I can’t imagine the screwball comedy era without him – and you make a very astute point that ARSENIC AND OLD LACE belongs as much to the screwball tradition as to that of black comedy.

This is a very well-written and astute review. To be fair to the film, one reason it doesn’t appear on my list – by a hair – is that I’ve never seen the entire film from beginning to end. I think it’s the staginess that prevented me from including it. I do agree with those here that this was among the best performances of Grant’s career.

I think I saw this years ago but don’t really remember it – have just put it at the top of my list at the DVD club, so I hope to see it very soon and return to reread your review, Pat. You make it sound like a very different performance by Cary Grant and also something different from Capra, and I am eager to see it. A wonderful piece!

Returning to say I’ve now seen the film, but must admit it wasn’t really my cup of poison, so to speak – I now think I had probably just seen clips before. I agree with Dennis’ comments above about the staginess and found the over-the-top farce and endless shouting got rather wearing, although there are some sharp lines along the way and I’m sure it would work better on stage. I did enjoy seeing such a different performance by Grant, all the same!

Great review! This is one of those stage-to-screen adaptations in which the confined staginess of the setting never gets to me. I sort of adre the film’s off-kilter view of reality (even the outside of the Brewster’s house feels like it’s been plucked out of a nightmare). I love the overt sweetness of HUll and Adair, the sweaty jumpiness of Lorre, the true menace that Massey brings, and the rubbery, bug-eyed performance of Grant in the lead. I get a little annoyed with Priscilla Lane’s insistant obtuseness, and with Teddy’s “CHARGE!” moments, but those are minor complaints. It’s still a notable moment of gleeful darkness in Capra’s career, and just a real morbid little hoot all around.

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